Surprise! I've got another chapter for you already... and this replaces chapter 29 as my personal favourite so far. =) Hope you enjoy.
texancoconut51 - Thank you! ^^ Unfortunately, stuff about Josh being a mindless zombie will have to wait for another time. :P And yeah, I just felt Tortimer needed to randomly appear, and show more about what Laura's done to the town. Thanks =)
Lumoa - Maybe, maybe not. :P There's a reason behind the fear, though. And yeaaaah, I'm not letting Laura leave so easily, even if this story does seem to have a mind of its own half the time... I'm hoping this chapter makes you readers feel a bit more sorry for Laura, or just hate her more.
Xamem-The Heart of Oblivion - Well.. well... this cliffhanger's not quite as bad! JOKE! Worst. Cliffhanger. So. Far. :P It's not at the end of the chapter, but you'll hopefully agree that this cliffhanger is cruel. =D Thank you. =)
emma2679 - And I updated again. Right, best friend, I'll remember that. Ahahah, did I forget to mention that this is actually a true story? =O The world's protesting against you... you'll understnad what that means when you read this. Ireland? Awesome. I'm English, myself... and we have no snow.
bomrocks23 - Saved your life? Good, good. I'm glad. Here's an extra foothold in staying alive. Let's hope this chapter 'bomrocks' as you put it... too :P
Expiration and Exchange
"Goldie?" Kabuki called loudly, forgetting to be careful of causing another collapse. His paws caused echoes as he dashed across the cavern, searching for any sign of the dog, "Goldie! Where are you, meooo-OH?" His keen eyes darted around every nook and cranny of the cave, but there was no sign of her. "Goldie!" There was another rumble, causing the cat to shiver. He approached the dinosaur skeleton, grabbing one of its smaller bones, yanking it out roughly, holding it up like a weapon. The dust was thick around the cavern, and it was becoming harder for Kabuki to breathe. He closed his eyes briefly, calming himself down, keeping his breathing steady. "C'mon, you... show yourself, meooo-OH. You may have taken Goldie... but not me..."
"Uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhh..."
Kabuki turned in a complete one-eighty to look behind him, eyes widening immediately at the shadow that was visible from the small crack of sunlight. He could make out the dark figure of something, the shadow on the ground distorted, making whatever it was a lot more threatening than it should. Keeping his voice calm, he asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm not the one making the noise, if that's what you mean." A masculine voice replied, one Kabuki had never heard before. It wasn't Goldie, it wasn't Kapp'n... someone else was inside the cave. Kabuki took a step forward, the bone in his hands raising even further, a threatening position. "I'm not your enemy." The voice was almost soothing, friendly... but at the same time, sinister. "Your town has stumbled upon something they shouldn't. Secrets they shouldn't. Leave now, and I will return your friend."
"...Where is she, meooo-OH?" Kabuki questioned, giving no reply to everything else the stranger had said, "Trust me... we're just here to rescue someone, we didn't mean to intrude, meooo-OH."
The stranger laughed. "There's no need for acting here, my friend... You've been here before... I told you to stay away, but you have returned." Before Kabuki could even register what the stranger had said, he continued to say, "The world is changing, excuse the cliché saying. Humans have found us, as you know. But humans don't belong here." The shadow moved, turning to the side, and Kabuki could now see the shadow of a tail on its back. The stranger was an animal. "Four humans are in the town of Honevray... that is more than any other town has. It's upsetting the balance. You are skilled, Kabuki... And I have a task for you."
Kabuki remained silent for a while, his tongue running over his pointed teeth, yellow eyes narrowing as he tried to make out who the animal was. Finally, he asked, "What kinda task, meooo-OH?"
"In fact... call it a deal." The stranger said after hesitating, making a grunt of thought, "In exchange for both your friends... yes, the pirate-like animal is safe with me... as is the dog. If you want to see them both alive again, then do as I say. Otherwise... they will never walk around Honevray again. No, I will not kill them... They will work for me, something many say is worse than death." There was another complete silence, but Kabuki said nothing. The cat was deep in thought. "Anyway... in exchange for your friends... I want you to get rid of that human who everyone looks up to. He runs the real estate, I believe... what was his name? Josh?"
Kabuki let out an angry gasp, stepping back, a hiss escaping his lips. "G-Get rid of him? You mean... kill him?"
"Do whatever it takes." The stranger said calmly and simply, still not moving forward into the small area exposed to the sun, "His time in Honevray is over... his time has expired... his part in the tale complete, however you want to put it. You know more than many what I mean. You know how this world works. Remove the human from this world, and your friends will be returned to you... But should you fail, or tell anyone, then you know how it works. And I'm sure you've seen this happen in many movies, Kabuki, but this time, I am serious. You are smart... you will be doing nothing evil, simply protecting two lives in exchange for one."
"...How much time do I have, meooo-OH?" The cat asked in another hiss, the fear forced away from his voice. No guilt, no remorse... such emotions were a weakness. He knew he had no choice. "And... if that groaning noise was not you, what was it?"
"You have however much time it takes." The stranger replied, shadow disappearing as he walked away, "You will know when the time is right. The human called Josh still has SOME part to play... but after that, you will know what to do. As for the groaning noise, I repeat again... the balance has been upset, and the world doesn't like that. Farewell, Kabuki." Silence fell again as the stranger vanished, somehow escaping the cave... with Goldie and Kapp'n.
There was a bang from behind him, and the cat spun around once more to see Topas, Pete and Mystery standing in the now cleared entrance.
"Kabuki!" Pete exclaimed, rushing forward towards the cat, "Where are Goldie and Kapp'n?"
Kabuki looked back in the direction of where the stranger had vanished, before saying with thick emotion, "...They're gone, meooo-OH."
"Well... that's finally over." Josh sighed, slumping down into his chair in the real estate office. Jenny came and sat down next to him, looking very pale and covered in dirt like everyone else who had gone to the caves. "Thanks to one stupid human girl... Kapp'n and Goldie are both dead." The girl beside him let out a sigh, leaning her elbow on the desk and putting her forehead into her hand, tears escaping her eyes. Josh turned to look at her, before hugging her, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said it so bluntly... Kabuki only said they're gone. Please don't be upset."
"N-No... don't apologise." Jenny replied with a croaky voice, wiping her eyes, "You're probably right, anyway... Just... h-how did this happen...?" She began to cry holder, and Josh said nothing, simply comforting her in his arms.
Laura gave a sigh as she closed the door to the Police Station behind her, walking out into the cold night air. She looked to the left, spotting the cat and squirrel from earlier, who were both glaring at her. "There she is, niblet..." The squirrel attempted a whisper, but it was all too audible to the human's ears, "How can she just walk around so calmly when she killed one of our best friends and Kapp'n? I can't believe Louis persuaded Tortimer to let her stay..."
"Shush, silly..." The cat next said in a quieter voice, pulling the squirrel back from the girl, "We don't want any more drama... just let things go as they happen, silly..."
Laura let out a choked sob, falling to her knees on the cold grass, raising a shaky hand to her forehead, not even trying to prevent the flowing tears from leaving her eyes... And I watched from a distance, a small frown on my face as I leaned against a tree. Nibbles and Rosie simply walked away, leaving the girl to cry alone. I stepped forward, crouching beside her... She looked at me, before falling forward into my arms, fully crying now. And as the moon continued its journey into the dark sky, I watched it... Honevray was truly falling apart.